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Recently one of my buddies had been bugging me to sell him my XO-1 and he also wanted to buy a P4de, so i sold both of mine to him for a package deal. My old P4de was pretty much stock except for steel cvds, a tekin rx8 and pro4 3300kv combo and badlands tires and was only ran about 20 times. Although i do not miss the xo-1 because it was an absolute displeasure to drive, i did miss the p4de because after all it is still a Stampede and with the tekin system in it, it had the velocity of a bullet!

So i decided i needed to get another P4de asap, so i did. This model comes with the tqi and i picked it up at Future Shop for $389.99+taxes.

Just like all 2wd and 4x4 Stampedes, it comes with the redneck jacked up body look which i really think is bunk, especially considering it doesnt offer any benefits to the truck, so im not sure what the Traxxas motive is for mounting it up so crazy high. Rather than pay $20 bucks for shorter body posts, i just cut the rear posts down and bolted em back on. A two minute job.

For the front, i just completely removed the mount altogether, and from having so much experience with 2wd pede mounts, i could see right away that i could easily make the front adjustable 2wd monster jam mounts fit with minor modifications and look like they were made to be there, and they do. I just had to cut the bottom tabs off then drill holes to match the shock mounting holes of the tower, then drill new holes in the stock lid to mount it up. Now i have way more versatility when mounting aftermarket bodies.

Dont worry, im gonna make the adjustable rear MJ mounts work too, im just figuring out the best and strongest way to mount them using parts that most of us would have on hand. Having the front and rear mj mounts on this truck will open up a lot more body options, as i havent found a body i couldnt mount on a p2de using the mj mounts.

I switched out the shock bodies to black ones for now until i find another upgraded set of aluminum shocks that are completely black, as the all blacked out look is what im going for on this build. I also added some HR aluminum shock caps that i had laying around as well as some black springs. I have had a great experience with the Hot Racing parts on my HR P2DE XL, and since HR offers all black aluminum parts for the 4x4, its an easy choice for me on this build. As you can see, ive also changed out the front links to some axial 5mm aluminum tube links.

Although my last p4de was a torque monster with the tekin rx8 and pro4 3300 combo in it, that combo was sold with the truck and now that winter is here (along with a ton of snow) the vxl will stay in the truck for the winter for waterproof bashing in the snow. I use 2.2 proline sand paws to haul tail through the snow... and they do! The truck rarely ever gets stuck and when in the deeper powder, as the cold makes the rubber compound harden up, they get even better.

Being one of the first guys to mount up the ET-3s and ET-2400 combo in a p2de, i have had a lot of drive time with the combo and can easily say that it outperforms the rx8/pro4 3300 combo. Since i now own five of the et-3s escs and 3 of the et-2400 motors, that is what will be mounted up in this truck once the snow is gone, along with all necessary upgrades to handle the power. Just have to do something about the green.

The FLM 17mm adapters from my HR P2DE Xl fit nicely on this truck, so another set is already on the way along with another set of the full offset 3.2" ofna mt splits wheels. I am going to see about getting the flm adapters powder coated or anodized and am going to try dying the white ofna wheels and the chassis black. This adapter/wheel combo gives some nice stance width to the truck and should work well with the protrac kit i ordered. Not sure which tires im gonna use on this build, but im leaning towards the mashers so ive already ordered some to see how they turn out.

The list of upgrades will be pretty long for this build, but lots have been already purchased and are in route as we speak. I will be using all the Hot Racing aluminum parts that are available in black for the p4de and hopefully with the help of the forum, ill be able to keep the all blacked out theme for any other parts ill be looking for (such as a good set of all black aluminum threaded body shocks with black springs). If i have to resort to using a second color tone for some parts, it will be polished aluminum.

Thanks for checking out my new build, i will update as the parts arrive.

That's awesome Baldy. I like the blacked out look. Should be interesting and entertaining to follow this build up. I know I love my p4de and have been very easy on it. I am glad I caught this thread because I am looking for a different way to do body post. I had my body post, just the post with a screw with no head in it and screwed to the two holes on the top of the traxxas alloy shock towers. It is a very week design, and cut my bash session short today. I have seen you mention the monster jam post before. Going to get me some of them. Thanks

I'm glad you got the adjustiable mounts to work. My next truck will be a p4de. Looking to do a roller up build and take the electronics out of my second Rusty. Then use my mj mounts to put the Digger body on. Will be keeping an eye on this build.

With a traxxas servo you wont have to run a glitch buster. I use a hitec servo with the et-3s in my hr p2de xl that pushes out 400+oz of torque and it did have some issues with the factory bec setting of 5.5v, but once i bumped it up to 6v it worked fine and still does. Any of my trucks that run average torque rated hitec metal geared servos with the et-3s have no problems at all. The et-3s doesnt like any analog servos at all.

That's awesome Baldy. I like the blacked out look. Should be interesting and entertaining to follow this build up. I know I love my p4de and have been very easy on it. I am glad I caught this thread because I am looking for a different way to do body post. I had my body post, just the post with a screw with no head in it and screwed to the two holes on the top of the traxxas alloy shock towers. It is a very week design, and cut my bash session short today. I have seen you mention the monster jam post before. Going to get me some of them. Thanks

Sent from Oser world

Thanks man, i gotta get on the dying of the chassis to get more of the look im going for. This should be a pretty fun (and fairly costly) build. Lol

I wanna know how the et-3s works out! I might get one since they are pretty cheap on eBay...

Go for it while they are still cheap. They are a great esc for the 65 bucks i was paying for them. I have the et-3s in my speedrunner paired with the vxl motor, have it in my hr p2de xl with the et-2400kv motor and it has been solid running on 3s lipo for a good while now. I also have another et-3s/et-2400 combo on the way that im putting into my sons emaxx, and of course i have one in my Funny car and one more of these combos set aside for this build. Ive been buying these funny car esc/motor combos for 145 bucks off ebay, cant beat that price.

I'm glad you got the adjustiable mounts to work. My next truck will be a p4de. Looking to do a roller up build and take the electronics out of my second Rusty. Then use my mj mounts to put the Digger body on. Will be keeping an eye on this build.

I nearly did a roller build up for this one, but i decided to buy the rtr because i wanted to run the vxl system for the winter. Also this rtr came with the tqi radio which is a total plus, especially when i switch to the et-3s esc because then i can use the iphone and castle link live settings. I was looking at 4x4 rollers on ebay for 150 bucks which isnt a bad deal at all if you already have several brushless systems, an ample supply of tires, quite a few servos and too many radios laying around like i do.

The monster jam mounts are such an asset to the 2wd stampede when you want to mount several different styles of bodies, so i figure it would be just as cool to have the same body mounting options for the 4x4.

i love them sand paws,just waiting for some good snow around here,but the truck looks good

The sand paws are a beautiful thing when it comes to hooking up on a loose surface. I also run them on the rear of my sno-pede build with skis on the front and they tear through the snow really good and keep that truck ripping through the powder, which isnt easy to do for a 2wd truck like the Stampede. On the 4x4 its pretty sweet to be able to tear through the deep stuff and watch the 4 snow roosters flying up from the truck. I tried 2s lipo in the sno-pede and it was not enough to keep it going because the truck relies on sheer wheelspin to keep it going, but on 3s its not a problem. I use my carpet tape method to tape the sand paws to keep the ballooning in check, which also keeps the truck on the surface of the snow instead of the tire turning into a pizza cutter and sinking. I use the 2.2's because of the insane amount of wheelspin when running 3s in the snow because they are easier to balance. Ive also never had a 2.2 blow off the wheel from wheelspin, but have had plenty of larger tires blow up.

So im sitting here staring at the rear shock tower trying to figure a way to get the rear MJ body mounts to bolt up, then i glanced up at the front tower and it was staring right at me the whole time! I dont need the rear MJ mounts to bolt up, all i need is to bolt another set of front mounts to the rear tower.

By cutting the rear posts away from middle bracket, you now have rear style posts that are independant from eachother which allows for use on the front mount. Do the same to the other straight rear posts and youll have another straight post option you can use on front or rear. There are so many possible mounting options with the mj mounts, i guess ill have to type up a how to thread.

So now that this mj mounts mod offers more mounting versatility for the p4de and also lowers the body to the same level as the $20 jconcepts body lowering kit, i know that there are those people (myself included) that are saying "I WANT THE BODY MOUNTED EVEN LOWER!". Well i got that covered too.

Hows this for low?

Heres a pic with the rear mount bolted up

That is as low as a body can possibly go on this truck cuz the body is sitting about 1mm above the shock tower. Now that the mj mounts are made to fit the towers, To get the body to ride this low is very easy. Youll need 4 plastic lower shock seal spacers to go in between the mounting bracket and the shock tower as shown in the pics below. Then you just need to simply remove the body mounting posts, turn the mj mounts upside down, then reinsert the body posts and bam - Lowrider!

Spacers

Mounts installed upside down

Now ive got full adjustable mounts on front and rear, time to go shopping for some new bodies!

Accepting requests for bashing at GREENWOOD BASHPLEX in Pittsburgh PA!! Check the thread in the track buddy forum and reply there or pm

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With the truck so wide, is it only a matter of time before the HRbaldlypede4x4XL comes into play(slash4x4 chassis)? Nice work on the mounts you innovator. As far as the trenchers go, have you seen the new masher 2.8's? Mt3 splits with the new mashers may be a good alternative to the trenchers...

Ps, you are doing blacked out. I am doing shades of grey/black/charcoal, but the only color that I am leaving on the truck is the castle green motor. Just cant bring myself to strip it...

With the truck so wide, is it only a matter of time before the HRbaldlypede4x4XL comes into play(slash4x4 chassis)? Nice work on the mounts you innovator. As far as the trenchers go, have you seen the new masher 2.8's? Mt3 splits with the new mashers may be a good alternative to the trenchers...

Ps, you are doing blacked out. I am doing shades of grey/black/charcoal, but the only color that I am leaving on the truck is the castle green motor. Just cant bring myself to strip it...

I dunno man, i love the trenchers on my HR P2de XL but i dont much care for how they look on my 4x4. You called it on the mashers, they are already on the way, along with new mt splits. I bought a set of white mt splits to dye black and another set of chrome as well because i may use the chrome if i have to resort to using some polished aluminum parts on this build, (im having a tough time finding a good set of shocks in all black). I bought a set of 3.2 mashers as well as the new 2.8's. I think the 2.8s will go on this build and the 3.2s will go on the hr p2de xl if they arent too big, if they are then theyll go on the emaxx.

Im already thinking about going XL with this truck cuz it kinda seems strange having the 4x4 be so much smaller than the HR P2de. How much longer is the slash 4x4 chassis? I was looking around for an aluminum chassis for the p4de but nobody makes em i guess. Will i lose ground clearance with a slash chassis? I dont know much about the slash 4x4, and very little about the p4de cuz i never drove or upgraded my last p4de very much. So Im kind of a noob all over again. Lol But i am an extremely fast learner!

Sitting side by side, the HR P2de looks like it would eat the 4x4 if provoked. Lol

As for the green castle 2400 motor, its one of the colors of the spectrum i dislike so i will have no problem stripping mine or blacking it out to suit the build. Either that or i may pick up a black castle motor off ebay. I just picked up a MMM during the castle sale last night so i can always use an extra motor.

I dunno man, i love the trenchers on my HR P2de XL but i dont much care for how they look on my 4x4. You called it on the mashers, they are already on the way, along with new mt splits. I bought a set of white mt splits to dye black and another set of chrome as well because i may use the chrome if i have to resort to using some polished aluminum parts on this build, (im having a tough time finding a good set of shocks in all black). I bought a set of 3.2 mashers as well as the new 2.8's. I think the 2.8s will go on this build and the 3.2s will go on the hr p2de xl if they arent too big, if they are then theyll go on the emaxx.

Accepting requests for bashing at GREENWOOD BASHPLEX in Pittsburgh PA!! Check the thread in the track buddy forum and reply there or pm

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Baldy, the difference between the 2 chassis is just under 2"(49mm). The ground clearance will be the same, although the shorter wb of the pede will be better getting over the big boulders without getting hung up.

These are the new 2.8 mashers. They have a beefier look then the 2.2,s kinda like the trenchers in beefyness:

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I wondering what compound they are. If they are the same compound as the trenchers, they will prob balloon the same. I would go with the trenchers on my build, but I want v treads. Get your tape out....

Baldy, a good set of black shocks are the stock shocks dyed black with tini shafts. Also, STRC makes aluminum thread bodies in gunmetal for Traxxas shocks. And I believe the new, larger shocks on the Slash platinum lcg are black threaded aluminum.

Took the 2.2 sand paws off the wheels and trimmed the beads to fit 2.8" traxxas bead wheels. Then took the stock talons off the all star wheels then mounted up the sand paws. Much better looking now.

Even though it is common knowledge that integy makes weak parts, most can agree that the integy parts do look pretty good. I was looking to get an aluminum receiver box for my HR P2de XL when i came across a decent looking box made by integy. I had ordered two of them and they arrived earlier today, and i have to say that i dig the way the box is set up. It has a channel down the pne side to route the wires through and also has an antenna mount. The box seals via a rubber o ring that the lid slides over, but the antenna hole and the top of the wire routing channel would have to be capped with putty or silicone to make it water tight. I decided to see what it would look like on my p4de and realized that the mounting holes line up really close where the stock receiver box mounts up. Check it out:

The integy aluminum receiver box is made for the HPI nitro firestorm and comes in silver and blue ano. And was something like 13 bucks which isnt too bad considering an rdlogistics aluminum receiver box top/bottom would cost about 70 plus shipping.

Look'n good Baldy. I really dig that Integy Rx box too. It really adds to your Bling. The sandpaws look so awesome and enticing. Wish we got snow to drive in, or do I? LOL I live about 25mins from the beach. I just don't like sand and where it gets. Way worse than water.

I'm really thinking I need to get some wheel extenders like you have. That really changes the look of it, in a good way. I'm waiting for you to throw your style of lid on there? Anything in mind?

Look'n good Baldy. I really dig that Integy Rx box too. It really adds to your Bling. The sandpaws look so awesome and enticing. Wish we got snow to drive in, or do I? LOL I live about 25mins from the beach. I just don't like sand and where it gets. Way worse than water.

I'm really thinking I need to get some wheel extenders like you have. That really changes the look of it, in a good way. I'm waiting for you to throw your style of lid on there? Anything in mind?

The paddles are pretty fun, but id rather be running on dry ground cuz im not really a fan of the truck cleanup afterwards. Lol

You know, i have no idea what body im gonna get for this one. Its been so long since ive shopped for a stock wheelbased body for the Stampede, so i gotta do some digging. I want to do something a bit different or rare, but until i find the body i want, i can tell you that i will be picking up one of the gate crasher bodies like you have. I think the gate crasher would look pretty sweet dropped way low with an extra wide track width.

Small Update

Got a little bit of a snow bash in yesterday. The truck does decent as long as i dont slow down too much. The sun melted the top layer of the snow a bit and then it froze again, so when the truck breaks through the thin layer of ice on top it gets hung up unless i go really slow and careful to ride on top, but who drives slow and careful anyways. I think im gonna step up to 2.8 or 3.2 paddles for a bit more weight distribution and penetration depth. Also need a bigger bumper that will ride up the snow instead of plowing into it. (suggestions?)

Heres a lil vid of it running in the snow. Sorry for the skinny format, i forgot to rotate the lens back to the upright position on the contour camera. It was widescreen when it was sideways, but watching it would be a pain in the neck! haha.

Some people use compressed air or towels to clean the water and snow off of their truck, heres how i do it:

Yep, my cleaning girls arent gonna be happy about that one. They already gave me heck for the burnout marks on the kitchen floor. Apparently theyre hard to remove. lol

Slapped some big chevrons on the truck for fun. Truck doesnt look so small now sitting next to the HR P2de XL.

Now the P4de can hang with the big boyz... almost

Gonna rock the chevrons in the snow tomorrow and see how they do. My kid's emaxx does really good in the snow using the stock traxxas chevrons, so we'll see.

Also made some changes to the TQi tx:

-Chrome dials from a way old school Traxxas am tx (classy lookin old units they were...but huge!)
-Chrome wheel
-Chrome trim around the base of the driving mode switch
-Shortened the mode switch cuz it gets caught on everything and is never in the spot i want it. lol
-Shortened the trim dials so they arent always getting unintentionally moved
-Removed the tacky red and white TQi logos, theyre just too much and dont really match the tx, my opinion.
-Applied some Castle Creations decals until i figure out where the heck i put all my hundreds of Traxxas decals. (The Castle ones do look pretty good though)

Some pics:

I think it looks a bit better now. I think im going to use the outer casing of the other tqi tx that came with the p4de and relocate the mode switch to a more convenient spot in the giant waste of space in front of the wheel. I also want to install a lower profile launch switch instead of the gigantic old red 2 speed switch they recycled for this remote. A small, low profile chrome rocker switch would be nice. I'm also in the process of figuring a way to mod the tx to also charge the iphone while it is docked. Most of the driving is done during sunny and bright daylight which requires the iphone brightness to be turned up all the way. Add to that the running link program and it doesnt take long for the iphone battery to drain. Plus i hate when i decide to go run the truck and pick up the tx and realize that the iphone is dead and will need to be charged before i can use it. Oh yeah and I really dont like the tx updates that cant be denied and shut down all functions of the tx until it is finished. They take forever too, so you can forget about trying to head out bashing 15 mins before dark cuz if it needs an update, you wont make it. So if you only have a few mins left in the day to bash, dont dock the iphone or youre boned! lol

Looking good as always my friend. Are you running the AA pod in the TQi? I purchased an after market chargeable nimh pack that fits right in there. It actually lasts quite a while between charges. In the Traxxas App settiings you can toggle a switch to charge your iPhone/ Ipod from your TQi batts. If you have chargeable ones using them isnt a big deal if it helps save your iDevice. I disabled mine. I've never had an issue with any of my devices running low that fast. You can turn off a bunch of notifications that will help save the batt.

Note: The Docking Base will charge your mobile
device as long as the transmitter is turned on.
This feature may be switched off by accessing the Preferences screen
in the Traxxas Link application.

I really like the bling you've done to the TQi too, way way way sweet. I'm also still waiting on the GPS module and expander unit. I've been so antsy to use that stuff. I check tower on a regular basis. Aargh!!

Looking good as always my friend. Are you running the AA pod in the TQi? I purchased an after market chargeable nimh pack that fits right in there. It actually lasts quite a while between charges. In the Traxxas App settiings you can toggle a switch to charge your iPhone/ Ipod from your TQi batts. If you have chargeable ones using them isnt a big deal if it helps save your iDevice. I disabled mine. I've never had an issue with any of my devices running low that fast. You can turn off a bunch of notifications that will help save the batt.

I really like the bling you've done to the TQi too, way way way sweet. I'm also still waiting on the GPS module and expander unit. I've been so antsy to use that stuff. I check tower on a regular basis. Aargh!!

Thanks bud, i found the setting now for charging the iphone while docked and powered on. Good deal! I think the battery on my iphone goes dead quicker because it still connects to my wireless and runs all the programs and junk that i used to use on the phone. I may just restore and wipe the phone clean since it rarely ever leaves the tqi dock. I'll try one of my ipod touch's first and see if they last longer. I still may mod the tx to charge the iphone/ipod while the AA's are being charged, then ill never have to take it off the dock and itll always get charged up while the AA's are getting charged.

Im still waiting for my gps and expander as well, when we both ordered the gps units, the place i ordered it from had them listed as in stock. A day after i prepaid they sent me an email saying its backordered. Has anybody even received a gps module yet?

Oh no problem man. I'm glad we all work together and help each other out. Try putting the phone in Airplane Mode. That will kill the WiFi. Also you can go in the Notifications settings and cut most or all of those off. I just know enough to get me in trouble. haha

Let me know what you come up with on a charging mod, that would be sweet.

I keep checking tower for the GPS stuff. It keeps getting pushed out. I havent even checked the dimensions on both of those goodies to see what mods i'll actually have to do to get them snug somewhere. It still isnt listed on the Traxxas website here. I want to rig up something temporary, but yet stays in place while RC'n around. At least when I want to do some speed runs. I have 2 sets of each. Prolly one setup for my big trucks and another for my 1/10 scales.